Michigan Hunting Season and Your Dog: Planning Your November Walks

This Sunday, November 15, is the Michigan firearm deer opener, and the state land you walk your PUP on is about to get a lot busier.

Before you head to your usual trail this week, check whether the land is open to hunting. Put blaze orange on your PUP and yourself, and have the leash ready. The Nov. 15 opener matters even when all you've planned is a walk.

This is the Michigan guide in our 10 States Where Dogs Face the Most Hunting Season Exposure series. For the basics that apply everywhere, start with our hunting season dog safety guide.

Should I expect hunters on my dog walk?

Plan to meet hunters when you walk land open to hunting around the Nov. 15 opener. Michigan has extensive public hunting land, and deer seasons continue into winter, so keep orange by the leash for the walks ahead.

The National Deer Association counted 10.7 deer hunters per square mile in Michigan in the 2024-25 season, fourth-highest in its ranking and more than twice the Midwest average of 4.9. A square mile is 640 acres, so that's about one deer hunter for every 60 acres over the season. Michigan has more than 650,000 licensed hunters in all. The NDA density figure counts deer hunters over a season. For your walk around the Nov. 15 opener, plan on sharing the woods; blaze orange helps a hunter pick out your PUP at a glance.

The DNR says it manages over 4.5 million acres of public land open to hunting. Its state game area system alone has more than 100 units covering more than 340,000 acres.

Which dates matter for my November and winter walks?

Expect busier woods starting Sunday, November 15, when regular firearm deer season opens statewide through November 30, 2026. Keep orange in your walking routine beyond November, too. Here is what the Michigan DNR 2026 deer regulations summary and its hunting season calendar list for 2026:

• Archery season runs Oct. 1 to Nov. 14, and again Dec. 1 to Jan. 1.
• Regular firearm season runs Nov. 15 to 30, statewide.
• The December firearm season in the Lower Peninsula runs Dec. 4 to 6.
• The Upper Peninsula muzzleloader season runs Dec. 4 to 6.
• The late antlerless firearm season runs Dec. 7 to Jan. 1, 2027, in parts of the Lower Peninsula. Check whether the land you plan to walk is included.

Put the archery and firearm dates together and some kind of deer season is open somewhere in Michigan from Oct. 1 through Jan. 1.

In the late antlerless season, hunters are looking for deer without antlers, which describes every dog, so blaze orange helps your PUP stand out.

Keep visibility gear part of your PUP's routine year-round. Before each walk, check the DNR's pages for the property you're visiting and the seasons open there.

Where are dog families most likely to share ground with hunters?

Expect to share your walk with hunters on public land open to hunting, including state game areas, state forests, and state recreation areas. In southern Michigan, the DNR says 97 percent of the land base is privately owned, so it's worth knowing which pieces are open to the public. Wherever you walk in Michigan, start with the rules for that property. Check the DNR page for the land you're on, assume hunters are out during the season, and put your PUP in blaze orange.

State game areas are the first place to expect hunters. The DNR describes them as lands managed for wildlife habitat, wildlife watching and hunting. The DNR's reminders sheet for state wildlife and game areas (revised 2016, and written as a simplified guide) says "Obey all signs for pets." For a walk in a DNR-designated recreational day-use area, it requires your dog to be under immediate control on a leash of 6 feet or less. For the rest of the game area, check the posted dog rules. On land managed for hunting, I'd keep the leash on.

State forests are open to hunting too. The DNR lists hunting among the uses of state forests. The Land Use Orders of the Director set dog rules for specific sites. Check the signs where you park, and bring the leash.

For state parks and recreation areas, the DNR says all state recreation areas are open to hunting unless designated closed, and all state parks are closed to hunting unless designated open. For your walk there, the DNR requires your PUP to be under immediate control at all times on a leash of 6 feet or less. Mich. Admin. Code R 299.927(k) says the same for state parks, recreation areas, forest campgrounds, and pathway trailheads. Dogs being used for hunting are exempt, so you may see hunting dogs working off leash.

What does the hunter orange rule mean if you're just walking a dog?

Michigan's hunter orange rule covers deer hunters during firearm seasons.

For your PUP, blaze orange is protective equipment. It's the same visibility protection Michigan's firearm deer hunters wear and road crews wear on the job, and it works for the same reason: being easy to see makes you safer. On a PUP, orange stands out against brown leaves and gray trunks, and that makes them safer.

For your own walk, follow the DNR's advice to wear hunter orange when outdoors near hunting areas. Put orange on your PUP throughout hunting season, including archery season. Have it on for early and late walks: legal deer hunting hours run from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset.

Do trapping seasons overlap with dog walking in Michigan?

Yes. Keep your PUP close on fall and winter walks because regulated trapping seasons overlap with that time outdoors.

The DNR's 2026 furbearer regulations summary lists raccoon trapping from Oct. 1 to Mar. 31, fox and coyote from Oct. 15 to Mar. 1, and beaver from Nov. 1 to April 23. For other species, dates vary by location. Check the table for the area where you plan to walk.

If your dog gets caught in a cable restraint or a body-gripping (Conibear-type) trap, the summary says to report it to the DNR Report All Poaching hotline at 800-292-7800. For how to get your dog out safely, start with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's guide to releasing dogs from traps, which covers foothold traps, cable devices, and body-grip traps. Read it before your next walk. Talk to your vet ahead of time so you have a plan ready.

If you walk your PUP in Michigan this month

1. Check your route before you go. Use the DNR deer regulations summary to see which seasons overlap with your walk.
2. See which land is open to hunting. Use the DNR's Mi-HUNT map to see approximate boundaries of public hunting land, then check the property's rules before choosing your route.
3. Leash up. State parks and recreation areas say 6 feet or shorter. On game areas and state forests, read the posted signs, and a leash makes everything easier.
4. Wear orange yourself. The DNR says to if you're outdoors near hunting areas.
5. Dress your PUP to be seen. Put blaze orange on before you start walking. Reflective trim helps at dusk and after dark when headlights or a flashlight shine on it.
6. Keep them close in thick cover and near water. That's where a nose takes a dog off the trail fastest.
7. Tell someone your route. It matters if a walk goes sideways.

How to gear up your PUP for hunting season

A dark coat can disappear into dark timber, and a tan coat can look like a deer's, which our Black Dog Visibility and Deer-Colored Dogs guides cover. Blaze orange makes your PUP stand out and keeps them safer. Keep the leash on and your eyes on your dog as you follow your planned route.

My pick is the blaze orange SafetyPUP XD Original Reflective Dog Vest. The orange is for daylight. The retroreflective trim sends light from a flashlight or headlights straight back toward its source, so it helps at dusk and after dark whenever a light is shining on it. For colder, wetter late-season walks, the Soft-Shell Reflective Dog Vest comes in orange and neon yellow. If you'd like yellow in a lighter vest, the Urban Reflective Dog Vest also comes in neon yellow, which suits traffic and roadside walks. For a dog walk near hunting areas, I pick blaze orange so a PUP stands out against the woods.

To the Michigan dog families who've trusted us with their PUPs: thank you. We're a US-based family business, and hearing from you means a lot. Stay safe out there this month.

Frequently Asked Questions About Michigan Hunting Season and Dogs

Gear up, and keep them visible.

Wondering when a vest matters most? Read Bow vs. Firearm Season. Worried about dogs a hunter might mistake for game? Read Deer-Colored Dogs and Black Dog Visibility.